{"id":166941,"date":"2025-02-11T08:00:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T13:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/?p=166941"},"modified":"2025-02-11T09:21:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T14:21:59","slug":"grocery-stores-ditching-plastic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Ground with Grocery Stores Ditching Plastic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lea Rainey knew that if all the plastic encasing the food she was buying at the grocery store was her pet peeve, other people must be frustrated by it as well. \u201cI could have continued to be one of those people who complained, wishing that \u2018they\u2019\u2013companies\u2013would do something about it, or I could do something about it,\u201d she says. In 2019, she opened<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rootszerowastemarket.com\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roots Zero Waste Market and Caf\u00e9<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Garden City, Idaho. The market is Rainey\u2019s small solution to a problem that has overwhelmed North America.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166940\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166940\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-dominant-color=\"9e8e62\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #9e8e62;\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-166940 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2487177879.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2487177879.webp 1000w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2487177879-528x346.webp 528w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2487177879-768x503.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166940\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photography via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/environmentaldefence.ca\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environmental Defence Canada<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">published<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/environmentaldefence.ca\/report\/left-holding-the-bag-plastic-packaging-in-grocery-stores\/\"> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Left Holding the Bag: A Survey of Plastic Packaging in Canada\u2019s Grocery Stores<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They found that over 70 percent of products in the produce and baby food aisle are encased in plastic. It\u2019s not much better in the US. In 2019<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/packaging-away-the-planet-2019\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greenpeace USA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> assessed 20 grocery retailers<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with a significant national or regional presence. None of the retailers, according to Greenpeace, appeared to have comprehensive plans on how to reduce plastic use<\/span><b>.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And while it\u2019s true that consumers<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8250247\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increasingly report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that using less plastic matters to them,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/281962\/us-households-usage-of-bagged-or-packaged-salads-trend\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">statistics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> paint a different picture. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2020, over 242 million Americans used bagged or packaged salads\u2013a figure expected to have risen to 251.47 million in 2024.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/naparecycling.com\/guide\/plastic-salad-bags\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Salad bags<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are generally categorized as \u201cplastic film\u201d and they jam recycling machinery. They <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">end up in the landfill where they <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">decompose releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta read-more\">\n<div class=\"mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta-flex\">\n<p><a class=\"full\" title=\"READ MORE\" href=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2024\/03\/foods-big-plastic-problem\/\">full_link<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex\">\n<p class=\"title mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta-title h1\">READ MORE<\/p>\n<div class=\"description\">\n<p>Digging In: Food&#8217;s Big Plastic Problem.<\/p>\n<div class=\"svg mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta-svg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alongside the environmental concerns, there are potential health issues. Growing<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10038118\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suggests that chemicals used in the manufacture of plastic contribute to a multitude of health issues. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/health\/food-contaminants\/the-plastic-chemicals-hiding-in-your-food-a7358224781\/?msockid=3a5b007093f26d6c084a155592486cf0\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consumer Reports<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tested nearly 100 foods ranging from dairy products to canned goods.They found that phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic flexible, were in almost all of them. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/a-to-z-guides\/features\/what-are-phthalates\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Studies<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> suggest that regular exposure to phthalates can affect reproductive health and that older adults with phthalates in their bodies were more likely to suffer heart disease.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166935\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166935\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-dominant-color=\"a3a281\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #a3a281;\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-166935 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_1716959302.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_1716959302.webp 1000w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_1716959302-519x346.webp 519w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_1716959302-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166935\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photography via Shutterstock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But, there\u2019s hope. In April 2024, the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.europarl.europa.eu\/news\/en\/press-room\/20240419IPR20589\/new-eu-rules-to-reduce-reuse-and-recycle-packaging#:~:text=It%20is%20an%20ever%2Dincreasing,in%202030%20without%20additional%20measures.\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">European Parliament voted to approve new rules<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> aimed at reducing plastic packaging. Starting in 2030, bans will be in place for packaging of unprocessed fresh fruits and vegetables. Consumers will be encouraged to bring their containers to restaurants and caf\u00e9s, which will also aim to offer 10 percent of products in reusable packaging. Since 2022,\u00a0 Canada has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/services\/managing-reducing-waste\/reduce-plastic-waste\/single-use-plastic-factsheet.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">banned<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the use of single use plastic bags at supermarket checkouts. And, in the US more than a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.morganlewis.com\/pubs\/2023\/03\/reduce-reuse-regulate-the-current-state-of-plastic-waste-legislation-in-the-united-states\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hundred municipalities <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and cities have banned polystyrene ( styrofoam) used in food containers, including Los Angeles and New York. Illinois has gone even further.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gov.illinois.gov\/news\/press-release.26878.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Legislation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> came into effect in 2024,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.packagingdive.com\/news\/tracker-packaging-state-policy-epr-pcr-pfas-recyclability\/647362\/#illinois-allows-consumers-containers-restaurants-food-retailers\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">permitting<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> restaurants and retailers to fill or refill consumer-owned containers with ready-made or bulk food. Still, plastic packaging persists.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently, out of over<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xmap.ai\/blog\/how-many-grocery-stores-are-in-the-united-states-of-america-a-comprehensive-data-analysis-guide-for-businesses\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">300,000 grocery stores<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the U.S., which range from expansive supermarkets to small specialty shops, only <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/greenpacks.org\/how-many-zero-waste-stores-are-there-in-the-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1,300 zero-waste stores<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offer a plastic-free shopping experience.We spoke with a few shops around the country to see how they ditched the plastic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Maison: pay for food, not packaging<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After visiting France and shopping plastic-free, Larasita Vitoux was inspired to open<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/maisonjar.nyc\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maison Jar Refillery and Grocery Store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Brooklyn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIn Europe, there are so many refilleries and stores with bulk aisles,\u201d Vitoux says.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maison Jar sells bread, vegetables and dried goods all free of plastic covering. According to the store\u2019s year-end <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C401uo7Oa3k\/?img_index=1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">impact report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for 2023, they are making a dent in plastic use. For example: in 2023 Maison Jar sold 39,075 fluid ounces of kombucha&#8211;the equivalent of 2,443 16 oz plastic bottles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166937\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166937\" style=\"width: 708px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b67d48\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b67d48;\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-166937 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-3-Re_grocery-photo-credit-Re_grocery-2.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"708\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-3-Re_grocery-photo-credit-Re_grocery-2.webp 708w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-3-Re_grocery-photo-credit-Re_grocery-2-191x346.webp 191w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-3-Re_grocery-photo-credit-Re_grocery-2-566x1024.webp 566w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 708px) 100vw, 708px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166937\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photography via re_store.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Something Vitoux believes could propel plastic free bulk shopping into the mainstream market is the introduction of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/epr.sustainablepackaging.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extended Producer Responsibility<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (EPR) legislation. An EPR shifts the responsibility for managing materials at the end of life away from consumers and onto producers who are required to provide funding and\/or services that assist in managing products after the use phase. To accomplish this, as Vitoux points out, there can be an embedded cost associated with the packaged goods that gets passed on to the consumer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because bulk buying eliminates packaging, bulk items would not incur this carry over expense.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIt would make bulk much more competitive,\u201d Vitoux says. As of January 2025 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nysenate.gov\/legislation\/bills\/2025\/S1460\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">legislation <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to establish EPR\u2019s in New York State, where Maison Jar is,\u00a0 had been introduced.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_166938\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-166938\" style=\"width: 708px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-dominant-color=\"ceb6a1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #ceb6a1;\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-166938 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-Re_grocery-2-photo-credit-re_grocery-1.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"708\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-Re_grocery-2-photo-credit-re_grocery-1.webp 708w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-Re_grocery-2-photo-credit-re_grocery-1-191x346.webp 191w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Modern-Farmer-zero-waste-Re_grocery-2-photo-credit-re_grocery-1-566x1024.webp 566w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 708px) 100vw, 708px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-166938\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photography via re_store.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b>Re_grocery: direct from the farm\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After living in San Francisco and enjoying bulk plastic-free shopping at the city&#8217;s iconic<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/rainbow.coop\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rainbow Grocer<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Joseph Macrino returned to Los Angeles in 2016. \u201c There weren\u2019t any options in L.A. like that,\u201d he says. So, he created his own.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/regrocery.co\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">re_grocery\u2019s<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> first location opened in April 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta take-action\">\n<div class=\"mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta-flex\">\n<p><a class=\"full\" title=\"TAKE ACTION\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/health\/food-contaminants\/how-to-reduce-exposure-to-plastic-in-food-everywhere-else-a9640874767\/\">full_link<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex\">\n<p class=\"title mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta-title h1\">TAKE ACTION<\/p>\n<div class=\"description\">\n<p>Learn to reduce your exposure to plastic in food.<\/p>\n<div class=\"svg mfo-wysiwyg-custom-cta-svg\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From the start, the store was popular; five years later re_grocery has expanded to a chain of three stores. One in Studio City, another in East L.A. and one in Venice. Carrying everything from cooking oils, quinoa, and organic vegetables, they work to keep\u00a0 prices as competitive as conventional grocers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cA lot of it has to do with the bulk nature of products we are purchasing,\u201d Macrino explains. \u201cFor example, we purchase quinoa in 25lb bags. We get it directly from the farm after some processing and re-packing. It\u2019s not going to another co-packer, where it is getting broken down into smaller packages. By avoiding that other middleman \u2013 the co-packer,\u00a0 we are able to price bulk packages cheaper.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers at re_grocery weigh their containers when they arrive and receive a laser chip that is attached to the receptacle.When their goods are weighed at the check out the laser tag is scanned and the container weight is subtracted. The customer does not pay any extra for the container.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Roots Zero Waste Market: on demand ordering<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The argument for wrapping a cucumber or head of cabbage in plastic is to maintain shelf life and freshness longer. At Roots, Rainey applies a \u201cjust-in-time ordering policy.\u201d By ordering more frequently \u2013 often three times a week and only what she needs \u2013 food remains fresh. Roots sell eggs, milk, meat, and organic produce alongside bulk items such as olive oil, spices and rice. \u201cWe evaluate what\u2019s moving on the floor seasonally and adjust to how people\u2019s buying patterns are fluctuating at the time,\u201d she says.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe are an environmental company disguised as a retailer,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Roots operates on a closed-loop business model that fits with Rainey\u2019s environment consciousness, who is adamant that recycling does not work.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_165561\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-165561\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b68258\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b68258;\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-165561 not-transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/shutterstock_2219976707-jpg.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/shutterstock_2219976707-jpg.webp 1000w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/shutterstock_2219976707-519x346.webp 519w, https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/shutterstock_2219976707-768x512.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-165561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photography via Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere is no such thing as recycling,\u201d she says. Not only do rules for what can be recycled vary by state: a plastic strawberry container, for instance, may be repurposed, but cling wrap may not be so lucky. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/repurpose.global\/blog\/post\/the-recycling-paradox\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Items<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as toothpaste containers, chip bags, or juice boxes are formed with multiple layers of materials making them hard to break down and recycle.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe never send anything to the landfill,\u201d Rainey says. If, for example, an apple gets bruised in produce, it\u2019s taken to the deli where it is pressed into juice, with the\u00a0 pulp repurposed for muffins and its core composted.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0\u201cWe are an environmental company disguised as a retailer,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lea Rainey knew that if all the plastic encasing the food she was buying at the grocery store was her pet peeve, other people must be frustrated by it as well. \u201cI could have continued to be one of those people who complained, wishing that \u2018they\u2019\u2013companies\u2013would do something about it, or I could do something [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1917,"featured_media":166936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":[33279],"meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33293],"tags":[33302,33084,33251,33303],"article-theme":[33292],"class_list":["post-166941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-consumption","tag-business","tag-food","tag-sustainability","tag-waste","format-on-the-ground","article-theme-solutions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>On the Ground with Grocery Stores Ditching Plastic - Modern Farmer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lea Rainey knew that if all the plastic encasing the food she was buying at the grocery store was her pet peeve, other people must be frustrated by it as\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On the Ground with Grocery Stores Ditching Plastic - Modern Farmer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Lea Rainey knew that if all the plastic encasing the food she was buying at the grocery store was her pet peeve, other people must be frustrated by it as\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Modern Farmer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ModernFarmerMedia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-11T13:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-11T14:21:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2476992921.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jennifer Cole\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ModFarm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ModFarm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jennifer Cole\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jennifer Cole\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f3b50e82aa3960e8e757264bf8da459d\"},\"headline\":\"On the Ground with Grocery Stores Ditching Plastic\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-11T13:00:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-11T14:21:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/\"},\"wordCount\":1249,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/2025\/02\/grocery-stores-ditching-plastic\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/modernfarmer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/shutterstock_2476992921.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Business\",\"Food &amp; 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